In My Zeide's Kitchen

In my Zeide's kitchen
my father was raised on
fried cholesterol and carbohydrates
yet his body remained lean
and his heart is soft and strong and loving.

In my Zeide's kitchen
there is a light switch
bearing my name
from ages ago,
when, as a child,
I delighted in the new label machine in his basement
and proudly produced a label bearing the word, "Julie"
which he pasted on the light switch in the kitchen.

"Julie!" he would shout,
stretching the word across seconds
crying thoughts and feelings
he could not translate from Yiddish or Polish or Spanish
on birthday cards he spelled it "July"
even though it was printed clearly
in his kitchen
on the light switch.

~~~~~~~

from the June 2006 Edition of the Jewish Magazine

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